Printed products in scale formation, which are e.g. continuously supplied by rotary machines and which are not immediately further processed and/or not in the sequence as obtained, must be intermediately stored and/or rearranged. This e.g. applies during the manufacture of telephone directories, in which a plurality of individual, different products from the rotary machine or machines are brought together and bound to form an end product. For this purpose the rotary machine products are in known manner wound in the form of the scale flow supplied and intermediately stored as a roll prior to further processing. According to another method for the intermediate storage of such products, they are collected and introduced by means of gripper-like tools into corresponding storage containers, which are e.g. transported on pallets.
It has been found that the known methods for the intermediate storage and/or rearrangement cannot be readily fully automated and that they are not of an optimum nature with regards efficiency and storage space requirements. This is due to the fact that the products are stored in a form, which cannot be automatically assembled and released, or involves considerable expenditure in doing so. In addition, a considerable amount of storage space is required for the auxiliary means, such as pallets and the like required and the closed cycle of said auxiliary means comprises a method part completely separate from the passage of the products and which is not generally automated.